An international survey suggests online yoga felt useful and accessible, but its mental health findings need cautious reading.
Online yoga had clear appeal. The evidence was modest. The strongest message was practical: convenience and connection mattered.
Quick summary
- What the study found: The PLOS One paper ‘It is a lifeline’: International cross-sectional survey of benefits, barriers and acceptability of online yoga during the COVID-19 pandemic surveyed yoga students and teachers worldwide.
- Why it matters: Participants generally said online yoga’s benefits outweighed its barriers, especially for access, convenience, social connectedness, and personal practice.
- What to be careful about: This was a cross-sectional survey, meaning it captured patterns at one point in time. It cannot show that online yoga caused better mental health.
Online yoga was seen as useful, but not perfect
The study included 1,185 participants: yoga students and yoga teachers. They completed an online survey during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants reported perceived benefits and barriers. Open-ended answers were also analyzed to identify common themes in their experience of online yoga.
The main pattern was clear. Many participants saw online yoga as acceptable and helpful, while also naming practical and social limits.
The mental health links were small
Participants reported low levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms compared with general population norms during the pandemic.
More days of yoga practice per week were associated with lower depression. More years of practice were associated with lower anxiety. These links were statistically significant but small.
Age was also inversely associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. In plain terms, older participants tended to report lower symptoms on these measures.
Convenience and connection carried real weight
For everyday life, the most useful finding may be about friction. Online yoga can remove barriers such as travel time, scheduling pressure, and limited local access.
Participants also described social connectedness as a benefit. That matters because a class can offer structure and human contact, even when people practice from home.
At the same time, online delivery could reduce group connection. A screen may support routine, but it may not fully replace the feel of a shared room.
Use online yoga as support, not a cure
The safest takeaway is simple. Online yoga may be a useful wellbeing routine for some people, especially when it is accessible and easy to repeat.
It should not be treated as a proven treatment for depression, anxiety, stress, or social isolation. The paper reports associations and perceptions, not clinical effects.
Readers can think in practical terms. A good online class may feel supportive if it fits your schedule, space, body, and comfort with technology.
What remains unclear after this survey
The sample was self-selected. People who joined the survey were already yoga students or teachers, so their views may not match people who dislike yoga or have never tried it.
The pandemic context also matters. Online options may have felt especially valuable when in-person contact was restricted and many routines were disrupted.
The paper suggests online and hybrid yoga programs should protect convenience while improving guidance and connection. That is a careful, useful lesson without overstating the evidence.